Posted on 09/15/2004 10:22:50 AM PDT by priceofreedom
Russia rejects Powell's criticism, joins forces with Israel
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM Wednesday, September 15, 2004 HERZLIYA, Israel – While rejecting U.S. and EU criticism of its anti-terrorism reforms, Russia plans to adopt Israel's counter-insurgency methods in Moscow's war against Chechen rebels.
Russian officials said the government in Moscow has agreed to increase security cooperation with Israel and focus on counter-insurgency. The officials said the cooperation would include Israeli training and instruction on a range of issues, including aviation security and civil defense.
"We are being helped by your expertise in the field of aviation security," Vladimir Vasilyev, chairman of the Security Committee of Russia's parliament, told Israeli reporters.
Vasilyev and other Russian officials said security cooperation was already taking place, Middle East Newsline reported. They said teams from both countries were arranging meetings in an effort meant to learn the lessons of the Chechen takeover of a high school in North Ossetia in late August. Nearly 400 people were killed in the hostage episode.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, in an interview with Reuters, backed liberal criticism in Russia by saying the changes were "pulling back on some of the democratic reforms".
But Russia's foreign minister said Washington had no right to impose its model of democracy on others.
"First of all, the processes that are under way in Russia are our internal affair," Sergei Lavrov said.
"And it is at least strange that, while talking about a certain 'pulling back', as he (Powell) put it, on some of the democratic reforms in the Russian Federation, he tried to assert yet one more time the thought that democracy can only be copied from someone's model," Lavrov said.
Lavrov met Israeli leaders last week and signed an accord meant to pave the way for a joint effort against Islamic insurgency groups.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I want to express my support that you're giving us to solve security isues," Vasilyev told Israeli reporters at an international conference in Herzliya, which ended on Tuesday. "We will also continue cooperation in the field of protecting public places and will use Israel's experience. To be smarter and tougher, we will have to prepare our citizens." Russian officials said Moscow was also examining the Israeli model of a civil guard, or auxiliary police, that can carry weapons and conduct searches.
They said this would require new legislation.
Israel and Russia also agreed to expand their intelligence exchange, particularly in the area of Islamic insurgency movements, officials said.
Officials said Israel would soon send a delegation of intelligence analysts to Moscow.
Condie was interviewed on local conservative radio here recently and spoke most highly of cooperation with the Russians.
There must be one million Russians in Israel by now. And not all are Jews by any means. This strengthens the Israel-Russia connection. If Tel Aviv was hit by a nuke there would be a lot of mourning in Russia for the Jewish and Christian victims.
I hope the chechens are shaking in their boots. Let Basayev be the next Rantis.
"...our government's constant finger shaking is not helping here."
It does seem a little silly. I rather doubt Russia appreciates this kind of 'critique'. Maybe we just have to get it on the record.
Sharon has shown himself to be a generous and compassionate man who despises cruel treatment of children enough to do something about it.
I dream of Russian helicopters, swooping gently in the breeze, carefully choosing targets in the hills, letting loose a missile here and there to eliminate the evil ones of chechnya.
The sooner Europe wakes up and returns to Christianity, the better it will be. Ironically, today Russia is the sole Christian power in Europe willing to defend its culture and faith.
Sounds to me like like the cure is about as bad as the disease.
If you want to go through these one by one, let's begin. Centralized power is a misnomer, in part, because the change he has put in place does give more power to local legislators.
What it does, precisely, is keeps corrupt governors from being in place to allow and support chechen terrorists placing explosives in schools so children can be terrorized, raped and killed.
How else would you be able to tell your people that what happened at Beslan will not happen again? Only by taking full and personal responsibility for it.
Such action does not require paranoia from the rest of the world.
Next?
Or did you mean George Soros et all, whom they threw out of the country?
Or maybe you meant these "Artists"?
No there is not the same kind of freedom in Russia as there is here. This is true. In Russia you cannot be gay and get married, even for the press, and in Russia some liberal "freedoms" are not allowed, such as trashing the church and calling it art.
In Russia, Soros and his death culture, his support for euthanasia, abortion, and pornography was not tolerated. He and his liberal followers are dissenters.
Nor are the mafia mobsters who made a killing on the Russian people being allowed complete freedom anymore. Putin is going after them one by one.
Chechen supporters and traitors are also being persecuted. So sad.
Any other dissenters you had in mind?
You have lost me on the journalist. The editor of Investia resigned under pressure, I believe, but it was over graphic images.
The business men are probably former mafia heads who opposed him once he began cracking down on them.
Which civil rights?
Hmm, so would you support the simultaneous abolition of states rights in America, on the grounds of national security. In concrete terms, making governorships a Presidential appointee post? Cause that is what is happening in Russia.
It is an appointment which must be approved by local legislators. Russia is not America.
Heck, some folks thought the Reichstag fire was a good excuse to suspend democracy in Germany. One excuse is as good as another when you like dictatorships.
Probably not. Muslim/arab/OPEC country. Aside from oil what to the practitioners of that satanic death cult have that we want? Sand?
That Alien gets around. He also backed RUSH at one time.
Which is why we have to deal with the Russians and undercut OPEC.
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